Lisa cried that night.

She silently sobbed in the spacious first-floor bath room of the Kim’s just so no one could hear her cry.

She’s always one to cry easily, anyways.

Jennie’s words didn’t help any better.

“Stupid Jennie.” Lisa mutters as she wipes her eyes.

She looks at her reflection. Swollen eyes, red nose, throbbing lips. All from crying

“Stupid you.” She says to her reflection, “You look horrible.”

It’s the middle of the night. All are sleeping except her. Lisa made sure that everyone was already asleep before she slipped to the bathroom.

She made sure Jennie was asleep.

It’s never your business.

The older girl’s words continue to ring in Lisa’s head.

She sighs as she washes her face.

Jennie was right. It was never Lisa’s business.

Lisa is just the plain servant to a princess because her family can’t pay the stupid debt they owe to a royal family.

Lisa is nothing but a mere slave to someone as high as Jennie.

Who was Lisa to ‘pry’ on Jennie’s life?

It was stepping on the line.

So Lisa can’t do anything but sigh, and wipe more tears.

Because she admits that Jennie’s right, because she accepts that Jennie will always be right,

“You were never my business.”

--------------------

Lisa feels a tad bit more tired than normal. She instantly feels her eyes as heavy as the world and as painful as cold water in the morning.

She wipes her eyes and immediately regrets it for it continues to sting.

Damn.

Lisa tries to not look at the bed beside hers as she fixes her bed. Seeing Jennie this early in the morning is one in the bottom of her list.

When the source of all your pain is just right beside you.

How hard is that?

Lisa hurriedly folds her blanket as she scurries her way out of the room.

Wishing Jennie doesn’t notice her.

-------------------------

Awkward.

The only thing that runs through Lisa’s mind during her last breakfast with the Kim’s is how awkward it feels.

She had taken meals with them the whole week and this is the most awkward she felt. Even the time where she felt out of place because of Jennie’s cousins is nothing compare to how she feels now.

She still sits beside Jennie. Lisa thinks Jennie’s parents might guess something is off between them.

Something is off.

After the conversation about Jennie’s supposed ‘boyfriend’, Lisa has been off.

“Lisa, dear?”

Lisa snaps out of thoughts and jerks her head up to look at Jennie’s mom across the table, “Yes, Ma’am?”

“Mom.” Jennie’s mother stresses.

“M-Mom.” Lisa repeats, it tastes like poison now to call Jennie’s mother familiarly like that, “What is it, Mom?”

“Are you alright?”

Lisa scrunches her eyebrows, she coughs, “O-Of course, Mom. I-I’ve never felt better!”

Lies.

“You look… tired.” Jennie’s mother says worriedly.

Lisa is.

She is tired from all these exhausting feelings she prays hard to leave her. She is tired from Jennie’s never-ending push-pull with her.

She is tired from all the love she’s willing to give only for it to be thrown without any second thoughts.

“I’m fine, Mom.” Lisa weakly smiles, “Thank you for worrying about me.”

But it was Lisa who starts to worry when she feels Jennie turn to her direction. She feels Jennie’s stares etching holes deep in her head.

Lisa tries her best to resist looking back.

She tries hard to resist looking at Jennie.

No, she will not fall for it anymore.

No, she will not fall anymore.

------------------

Lisa quickly packs her things into her bag, hoping that Jennie doesn’t come in the room yet.

She feels that any more second she is left alone in a room with Jennie, she will explode.

She will burst from all these tension, the inner turmoil she feels with herself.

When Jennie has no problem breathing the same air as Lisa's, when Lisa on the other hand is choking.

But luck is never on Lisa’s side as Jennie steps into the bedroom ready to go back to Seoul.

“Hey, monkey.”

Oh, how mocking it was now.

Lisa doesn’t look up, she just mumbles, “Yes?”

“Help me pack my things.”

And being the obedient servant that she is, Lisa says, “Of course.”

It was only silence that veils the room as Lisa continues to pack.

Jennie decides to break the stillness,

“You’re being rude.”

Lisa internally scoffs.

Jennie continues, “I’m talking to you.”

“I’m answering.” Lisa nonchalantly says, eyes still on her bag.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Jennie says, and Lisa is not dumb enough to feel that Jennie's threatening her.

So Lisa sighs in annoyance and in defeat. She closes her eyes once and when she opens it – gathering all her strength and all her will and all her control to do that one simple thing she had always done – she looks at Jennie.

And Lisa at once wishes the heavens grant her prayers that her damned heart keep still and her tears keep out. Because Jennie still stayed beautiful. Because Jennie still stayed as the bitch Lisa had always hated. Because Jennie still stayed as the Jennie Lisa had come to love.

“What?” Lisa spits the word, afraid that if she says more, she’ll break down.

Lisa keeps her composure as Jennie starts walking painfully slow towards her.

Jennie says – when she was merely inches away from the kneeling form of Lisa, “Why aren’t you looking at me anymore?”

Because it hurts.

“Why do you care?” Lisa spews out again.

Lisa sees Jennie’s lip twitches. She knows she’s starting to anger Jennie again, but who cares now, really?

“Watch your mouth, Manoban.”

Lisa bites her lips hard so she won’t say anything anymore. She turns back to whatever it is she’s packing just so she won’t stare at Jennie anymore.

She only hears Jennie sigh loudly and frustratingly, Jennie says, “I’m going down. Just bring my things there. Pack it on your own.”

Lisa closes her eyes, and tries not to shudder when she hears the door slam shut.

-------------------

Lisa is busy carrying both their luggage down when someone takes the other bag. She turns to whoever did it and she feels the warmest for the first time that cold morning when she sees it was Sehun.

“Hi.” He says, the same bright smile that now brightens gloomy Lisa’s day already on his lips.

“Hey.” Lisa replies softly.

“Where will you bring these?” Sehun tries to carry more of the bags, which Lisa tries to take back.

“Just in the living room.” Lisa tilts her head to the direction, “Sehun, it’s okay. Really, I can manage.” She continues to tug.

“Nonsense.” Sehun says as he wins their little tug-o-war, another smile beaming by his lips.

They continue to walk to the living room and Lisa doesn’t notice the other people there. She only notices when she hears a series of ‘Ooh’s and ‘Aww’s’.

Jennie’s other relatives are still there and even without the intention to, she blushes.

“S-Sehun, it’s okay now. I can do it from here,” She takes the remaining bags off his hands, “Th-Thank you.”

Sehun nods, and so Lisa nods.

“So,” Sehun scratches the back of his head. Was he nervous? “Last day, huh?”

Lisa looks up at him, then looks down as she timidly nods again.

She hears Sehun sigh, “Too bad.” He says.

“… Yeah.” Lisa says weakly, because she knows it’s true. Even if it was only a week-long of spending time with Sehun, he proved that he’s still someone you can keep.

“I hope to see you again?” Sehun asks.

Lisa finally looks back at him again, “Of course. We’ll still see each other.”

He only smiles, and Lisa would like to believe that he was blushing when he says, “I’ll miss you.”

A giggle escapes Lisa’s lips as she softly slaps his arm, “What are you saying, silly?”

She continues to giggle as Sehun continues to blush harder, she finishes his torture by saying,

“I’ll miss you, too, Sehun.”

And Lisa is not one to be touchy, she sometimes becomes stiff with skin touching hers, but when Sehun suddenly hugs her,

It feels like it’s one of the right things to do.

He hugs her longer than Lisa expected, longer that any of those present expected.

Surprisingly, it didn’t bother Lisa anymore.

She only hugs him back as tight as she hears him say, “Keep in touch, okay?”

She hugs him tighter as she closes her eyes, hoping what she says next happen as much as she means it, “I will.”

And Sehun keeps on surprising Lisa more when they finally break the hug but not as soon as Sehun kisses her cheek.

Making Lisa jerk back in shock, mouth agape and face burning.

If this was another person, Lisa would have kicked him. But it was Sehun, and Lisa has taken a bit of a liking towards him.

So she only smiles when he smiles rather idiotically.

Lisa continues to smile wider and wider as she keeps her stares on him.

But soon that smile slowly fades.

For when she suddenly turns to another direction, she sees Jennie blankly staring at them,

With Lisa’s hand still on her cheeks, and the littlest of smiles on her lips.

Soon, that smile completely fades,

Because Jennie turns away.